You’ve Earned Those Credits – Let's Make Them Count!

Many students come to AACC already having earned college credit from other institutions. Others have demonstrated their mastery of skills through years of military service, on-the-job experience, standardized tests and more. You’ve worked hard to gain that knowledge, so we do everything possible to count those credits toward your AACC degree or certificate.

How Many Credits Transfer and How?

At AACC, you can allocate up to 45 transfer credits toward an associate degree or half the credits required for a certificate. Up to 30 of those transfer credits can come from nontraditional sources (military experience, CLEP, AP, IB, credit by examination and portfolio assessment). Of those nontraditional credits, a maximum of 15 credits may be earned through a combination of credit by examination and portfolio assessment.

Transferring coursework from other U.S. colleges

Keep in mind that credits from other colleges don’t automatically transfer to AACC. Our Records and Registration team reviews every course and credit individually to determine which count as AACC credit. Check out our Transfer Credit Equivalency Database that shows how courses from other institutions may transfer to AACC. Knowing which may transfer (and which may not) will help you understand our final decisions about transfer credit.

*Note: AACC must receive your transcripts within one year of the date they are printed and sealed.

That’s it! After reviewing your transcripts, we will mail your official transfer credit award letter to your address on file with the college, and we’ll post a copy in your MyAACC account. This typically takes 30 days once we receive your transcript.

Transferring coursework from institutions outside the U.S.

Before considering transfer credits from institutions outside the U.S., AACC requires students to have their transcripts reviewed on a course-by-course basis by one of our approved professional transcript evaluation services:

Credit from AP, IB, CLEP and departmental exams

International Baccalaureate (IB) scores are accepted by AACC. Go to the Transfer Credit Equivalency Database and select International Baccalaureate as the institution to learn more.

Credit by Examination may be possible in subjects for which College-Level Examinations (CLEP) are not available. The exam is graded on a pass/fail basis and does not affect the student’s GPA at AACC. Passing grades will be listed on the student’s academic record as transfer of credit. Students may not take a challenge exam for a course they have failed.

Prior Learning Portfolios

In cases where national standardized exams or challenge exams are not available, a student may be able to complete a portfolio that demonstrates his/her experience and college-level learning. In some cases, AACC will consider a portfolio, if that experience demonstrates mastery of skills or concepts taught within an AACC degree or certificate program.

Military training

If you completed training through the U.S. military, submit your official Joint Services transcript (Army, Navy, Coast Guard or Marines), Community College of the Air Force transcript or a photocopy of your DD-214. We count your basic training as AACC’s general education health/fitness/wellness requirement, and we award credit for other military training and occupations using the American Council on Education credit recommendations when a similar discipline is offered at AACC.

Proficiency Credit

AACC partners with Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) to align high school coursework with AACC college courses that leads to proficiency credit.

Common Questions

AACC’s General Transfer Policy aligns with the Maryland Higher Education Commission’s mandates on transfer credit and offers more detail about transfer. We also get questions about:

Can I register for classes prior to the completion of my credit evaluation?

Yes, but we recommend starting early and completing the credit transfer process before registering for courses. If that’s not possible, meet with an advisor to develop an educational plan, and bring an unofficial copy of your transcripts to help your advisor develop your schedule.

Do my previous grades transfer to Anne Arundel Community College?

No. Credit will be awarded for the successfully completed courses as appropriate. The grades you earned at other institutions will not transfer and will not affect your AACC grade point average.

Will courses in which I have earned a "D" transfer to Anne Arundel Community College?